Decorticating-machine



(NoModeL) I B. THOEN'S.

DEOORTIOATING MACHINE.

No. 361,381. Patented Apr. 19,1887.

N, mans, PhowLMmmpMr. Wahlngiou. ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BUROHARD "PHOENS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

DECORTlCATING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,381, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed September 17, 1886. Serial No. 213,925. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BURCHARD Tnomvs, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Decorticatiug-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a novel and effi cient decorticating-machine for rapidly and efi'ectually separating the wood, bark, and analogous particles from the long fibers of the stalks or stems of cotton, palms, flax, hemp, jute, and other plants, and to provide novel means for subdividing the stalks or stems into narrow strips, breaking such strips transversely into short pieces, flattening the same and removing the loosened or broken particles of wood, bark, and the like from the fibers. These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2, taken together, represent a vertical sectional view of suffieient of an apparatus to illustrate my invention, and Fig. 3 a detail side view of a portion of one of the stalk crushing and cutting rollers.

In order to enable those skilled in the artto make and use my invention, I will now desurfaced, for breaking the strips transversely into short pieces. A brush, 6, is located adjacent to and revolvesin a direction the reverse to that of the corrugated roller, to act directly against the latter for freeing it from adhering particles, the brush being used for the reason that it is not practical to employ a rigid scraperblade in connection with the longitudinallycorrugated strip-breaking roller. An en'dlessapron conveyer, 7, receives the short pieces ward between thelatter and another roller, 13,

the roller 12 constituting a rotating support for the fibers,while the loosened or broken particles of wood, bark, and analogous substances to be removed are swept off by a rapidly-revolvingbrush, 15. Thesesmall rollers revolve in close proximity to each other, and serve to hold and-feed the fibers in a taut condition while the brush acts thereupon, the surface of the rotating roller supporting the fibers while being subjected to such brushing action. I

The radial lines 15 indicate the brush-bris tles; but instead of bristles I may employ blades or wings for the purpose. The revolving brush removes the loosened or broken par ticles and deposits them in a well, 17, formed by depressing the bottom wall of acasing, 16, which incloses the brush, said well having an outlet-orifice, 18, through which the detached particles are caused to escape by means of a jet of water introduced into the casing above the wall through a jet-pipe, 18%.

The material operated on may be dampened, and thereby softened, at different stages by means of jet-pipes 30, located at appropriate places in the apparatus-as, for example, directly above the endless conveyers 2, 3, 7 and 9.

The brush 15 is of comparatively stiff material, and therefore, to more effectuallyseparate all loosened particles from the fibers, the mass received on a conveyer, 19, beneath the holding-rollers 12 and 13, is delivered to another-series of holding-rollers, 20,21, 22, and 23, and there subjected to the action of another and softer brush, 2 1, locatedin a casing, 25, having a jet-pipe, 26, for supplying a jet of water to carry off, through the outlet 27 ,the particles removed from the fibers and deposited by the brush in the well 28. The fibers thus freed from wood, bark, and other substances that itis desirable to separate therefrom are by a conveyor, 29, delivered to any point where it is desired to collect the same; but such conveyor may, if necessary, deliver the fibers to a third brush and another series of holding-rollers to repeat the brushing operation.

The several parts of the apparatus will be supported byjournals, as at 82, in a suitable frame-work, (not shown,) and any appropriate gearing will be provided for operating the rollers, brushes, and conveyors. The transverse breaking of the subdivided stalks can be repeated as often as necessary by introducing into the apparatus the requisite sets of breaking-rollers, and likewise the brushing off from the fibers ot' the loosened particles of wood, bark, &c., can be repeated byintroducing one or more brushes and holding-rollers.

For the purpose of preserving the rollers free from adhering matter, I provide any suitable devices-such, for instance, as scraperblades, 31.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim isl. The combination ota pair of rollers havingannular-sharpened proj ections for crushing and cutting the stalks into strips, a pair of rollers, one of which is plain surfaced and the other corrugated, for breaking thestrips transversely, a pair of smooth-surfaced rollers for rollers, one of which is corrugated, for breaking the strips transversely, a pair of smoothsurfaced rollers for flattening the transverselydivided strips, a series of rollers for holding the mass passingtherebetween, a casingin the lower part of which the holding-rollers are located, and a rapidly-rotating brush inclosed by the casing for removing the loosened or broken particles from the fibers held and fed by the holding-rollers, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a pair of rollers havingannularsharpened projections for crushing and cutting the stalks into strips, a pair of rollers, one of which is corrugated, for breaking the strips transversely, a pair of smoothsurfaeed rollers for flattening thetransverselydivided strips, a series of rollers for holding the mass passing thcrebetween, a casing having its bottom wall depressed to form awell, having an outletorifice, a rapidly-rotating brush for removing the loosened or broken particles from the fibers held and fed by the holding-rollers and depositing them in the well, and awaterjet for carrying off said particles from the well, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the crushing and cutting rollers, the breaking-rollers, the flattening-rollers, the holding and feedingrollers, and the brush, of the endless conveyors 3, 7, and 9, arranged, respectively, between the crushing and breaking rollers, the flattening and breaking rollers, and the flattening-rollers and brush, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BURGHARD THOENS.

\Vitnesses:

FREDERIC COOK, P. J. HEAVEY. 

